Steel and Roses

Rovi followed the woman out of the dormitory.

The wind outside was strong.

A pitch-black, small shuttle was parked in the shadows.

No markings, no lights.

Rovi climbed the ramp.

A moment before the hatch closed, he glanced back at the massive granary.

He glanced in the direction of Kais's office.

Goodbye, Supervisor Kase.

When I return, we won't be subordinate to each other anymore.

The hatch closed.

The shuttle lifted off, like a ghost, flying towards the cloud-piercing Governor's Spire.

The shuttle traveled through the clouds.

There were no windows.

Only red emergency lights flickered overhead.

Rovi sat on the cold metal seat, the seatbelt pressing uncomfortably against his chest.

Across from him, the female Captain of the Guard sat like a statue, her hand never leaving the grip of her bolter.

Rovi remained silent.

He was counting seconds.

Based on the perceived gravity and engine vibration frequency, he was calculating the flight altitude and distance.

Ascending for five minutes.

Level flight for ten minutes.

Now beginning descent.

This was the upper sector of the Governor's Spire.

"We're here."

The Captain of the Guard stood up and pressed the hatch switch.

The pressure equalization valve hissed.

The hatch slid open.

Cold wind rushed in.

However, this wind didn't carry the stench of the Lower Sector; instead, it had a faint, expensive incense aroma.

Rovi stepped down the ramp.

This was a private landing pad.

It was surrounded by towering Gothic columns, each intricately carved with reliefs.

"Stay close," the Captain of the Guard said. "Don't look around. Don't wander off. Unless the Governor asks you a question, keep your mouth shut."

Rovi nodded.

He kept his head down, his gaze fixed only on the pair of black military boots in front of him.

They walked through a corridor, passing two heavy doors equipped with gene-scanner locks.

Then, they stopped before a carved redwood door.

The Captain of the Guard knocked three times.

"Enter."

The voice was young and calm, yet possessed the authority of someone long accustomed to giving orders.

The door opened.

Rovi walked in.

It was a spacious and solemn study.

Portraits of past Governors lined the walls.

Faces frozen in the shadows, their gazes lost.

Several tattered battle flags hung limply, their fabric torn.

The edges were scorched black, still carrying the acrid scent of past gunpowder and dust.

Bookshelves reached into the dimness of the ceiling.

The paper booklets and data pads were cold and hard, pressed together in silence.

In the center of the room.

A heavy, black obsidian desk occupied the visual center.

The woman sat behind the desk.

Alicia van Valentius.

She had removed her heavy power armor.

Leaving only an ivory silk shirt and dark riding breeches.

The shirt was ivory, clinging to the curves of her skin, loosely covering her fair shoulders and chest.

The riding breeches were dark, hugging her waist and legs tightly.

Her lines were as sharp as an unsheathed blade.

Her silver hair was not meticulously styled.

She had simply gathered it to the back of her head and tied it loosely.

A few strands had come undone, falling softly by her cheeks.

Her face was exquisite, yet lacked luster.

As if she had spent too long beneath domes and stone walls, rarely seeing true daylight.

She sat there, her whole being.

Both relaxed and completely alert.

Deep within her purple eyes, something heavy was hidden—

It was not childishness.

Nor was it pure authority.

It was the depth and weariness unique to those who had shouldered great responsibilities too early.

Her beauty was like the room itself.

A weighted silence, quietly invaded by countless past events.

However, in Rovi's eyes, she was more dangerous than when clad in power armor.

Because in her hand, she was toying with the ornate dagger.

He was certain it was the same dagger used to carve out the code signals.

Rovi stopped five meters from the desk and knelt on one knee.

"Rank 4 Scribe Rovi, greets the Governor."

Alicia did not tell him to rise.

She spun the dagger in her hand, its blade reflecting a cold light.

"You call yourself a scribe?"

"You're a liar, Rovi. You deceived my tax official. You falsified data. You even colluded with the Adeptus Mechanicus to tamper with a Holy Relic."

Alicia stood and walked in front of Rovi.

"According to Imperial Law, any one of these charges is enough to put you on a pyre for three days and three nights."

She lifted Rovi's chin with the tip of the dagger.

Rovi was forced to look up.

He saw those purple eyes.

There was no killing intent within them.

It was like looking at a commodity up for sale.

"Give me a reason not to kill you," she said.

Rovi looked into her eyes.

He was neither humble nor arrogant, his voice steady.

"Because I saved you twenty-seven thousand tons of grain."

Alicia smiled.

"Saved? That was stolen by Kais. You just cleaned up his mess."

"If I hadn't, those twenty-seven thousand tons would have been a dead loss. The tax official would have found out, and Kais would have pushed the blame onto you."

"He would have said it was due to poor management by the Governor's Mansion, leading to corruption at the lower levels."

"At that point, you would not only have to cover the deficit but also face an inquiry from the Ministry of the Interior."

Rovi paused.

"Then, your uncles in the family would have jumped out. They would have said you were too young to hold the position of Governor. They would have used it as an excuse to force you to abdicate."

Alicia's smile vanished.

The tip of the blade pressed down another fraction, piercing the skin of Rovi's chin.

A drop of blood welled up.

"You understand my situation quite well?"

"I checked the records in the Archives," Rovi said.

"Fertility II's power structure isn't complicated. Although you inherited the title, real power lies with the three family branches and the Executive Council."

"You're short on money, short on food, and even shorter on people. Especially people who are both capable and absolutely loyal."

"Then how do you prove you're that kind of person?"

"I left the code with you," Rovi said. "I didn't give the evidence to a tax official, nor to the Ordo. I gave it to you. This shows I've placed my bet on you."

Alicia retracted her dagger.

She turned and walked back behind the desk, sitting down.

"Get up."

Rovi stood.

His knees hurt a little, but he stood straight.

"You are intelligent, and you are bold," Alicia said, pulling a document from a drawer and tossing it onto the desk. "Do you know where the last person who spoke to me like that is?"

"Probably at the fertilizer plant," Rovi said.

"Correct." Alicia pointed at the document. "This is your new appointment letter."

Rovi glanced at it.

Special Agricultural Advisor.

No rank.

No real power.

Reporting directly to the Governor's Mansion.

"This is a nominal position," Alicia said.

"You can use it to stride through the Executive Council, or to mobilize some supplies. But that's all."

"If you want to live a little longer, you'll have to prove your worth, and not just by cooking the books."

"What do you need me to do, Governor?"

"Grain."

Alicia tapped the desk.

"The Tithe quota for the next quarter will increase by twenty percent. That's the latest order from the Ministry of the Interior."

"Because the war effort near the Great Rift is straining resources."